Knit article and method of making the same



APPLI CATION FILED NOV- 1, 1919 Z0- 2' Q rQ-G flay @Zbr Patented Nov. 16

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UNITED STA TES PATENT :OFFICE.

FRANCIS W. TULLY, 0F BBOOKLINE, MASSACHUSETTS.

invrr narrow AND METHOD or MAKING 'rnnsmn.

7 '0 all whom it-mag concern Be-it known that I, FRANCIS W. TULLY, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Brookline, in the county of Norfolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Knit Articles and Methods of Making the Same, of which the following is a specification;

This invention relates to knit articles, such as stockings, gloves, underwear or other apparel made of knit web, and to a mode of treatment of such articlesor the fabric of which they are made for increasing their durability and facilitating their manufacture. Y Y Ordinary structures of knit fabric can not be cut or severedwithout exposing the fabric to raveling. This is particularly noticeable in the plain or one-faced fabrics-which are most commonly employed for stockings and other apparel. When such fabric is exposed unbound at one edge in the direction of its courses,'or the component thread of the knit web is severed anywhere within its edges, ladders or fruns of dropped stitches can not be prevented from starting at the edge or rupture, or from progress so far as'there is enough lateral or longitudinal strain on the fabric to pull the unlocked loops successively out of the loops in the next course, for Such ladders or runs seriously damage the article and can not be repaired'satisfactorily. When made during manufacture, they spoil the -arti-le for sale, and when occurring in use by the wearer, unless noticed in time and stopped by darning, they ruin the garment for any further use. Similar difliculties attend the cutting of edges and sewing of seams diagonally or longitudinally of such knit web's. Raveling 'at longitudinal cut edges is difiicult to prevent, the structure of the web permitting the cut ends of the yarns to be pulled through the loops with which they are engaged. Sewing without-tightly binding a wide edge section of the fabric in a fold or roll is impracticable. The unsewed cut edge is extremely unstable, so that utting and sewing must be performed together, and then result in a seam so bulky and unsightly as usually to make out and sewed garments undesirable merchandise.

So .far as I am aware, .no remedies for lateral raveling of cut edges have been provided Sewed knit articles have heretofore Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Nov; 16, 1920.

Application filed liovember 1,1919. Serial no. 335,035.

comprised either a web knit of a relatively I unraveling texture, or have been made of selvaged rather than out blanks. The running of ladders has been sought to be reme died only by changes in the structural texture of the knit web adaptable to practice only by the manufacturer of the stocking or otherarticle; or the proposed remedies have comprised such additions to the knit web as sewed lines made after making the web,

which are detrimental to its appearance and quality of the knit web exposing it to 'dam-. age of the sorts mentioned resides in theflexibility and surface smoothness of the yarns, qualities which enable the end loops of courses at a cut edge or all of the loops of a Wale of the fabric [when once unlocked by releasing one of the loops or an endofthe "component yarn] to be progressively extinguished by stretching the yarn into a straight line at each needle loop in turn. This behavior of the structure I have found to be either wholly avoided or made'so difficult as in practice to amount to-prevention,

when the individual loops are so reinforced, strengthened or treated as strongly to retain their shape, or to cling to the other loops with which they are engaged, or both, so as to prevent endwise stress onthe yarn of. such loop from straightening out the loop ,when released from another loop or end normally penetrating and looking it.

A prime objectof this invention is to provide a knit web resistant to rupture, raveling or puncture; to provide for the local treatment of the'web and of the yarn composing the knit web in such a-gnanner as to I prolong. endurance to wear, and both to de-- crease the flexibility of-theindividual loops, and to increase'the strength and the-cling- 1,ing, frictional ortractive efiept of one yarn where interlooped with another, and thus to provide areas or lines in the fabric at or standing across the places where ravelmg, ladders or runs are most liable to occur, and

which will stop the further propagation of.

the defect. Other objects are to provide for treating the fabri-s durmg or trauma facture or finishing in such a manner as to I enable lmit articles without the improved features to be provided with theimproved features with little effort and cost, and without necessitating a refinishing operation.

Another object is to provide an article of the class m'entioned characterized by areas resistant to raveling and to breakage or puncture, and not substantially dlflt'erent in texture from the remainder of the article, and not requiring any change from the ord nary structure of the knit web inthe disposition and interengagements of the yarn or yarns composing this web.

'In the accompanying drawings,-

Figure 1 is a side elevationof a stockmg illustrating one instance of an article char-- acteristic of the invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged diagram of the area 2, Fig. 1; v

Fig. 3 illustrates an applicatlon of the mvention to making a cut and sewed article;

Fig. 4 is a detail of the sewed edges; Fig. 5 is a greatly enlarged view of the yarns at one of the improved areas in the A completed article, showing one ofthe points of engagement with each other of two of the knit loops;

Fig. 6 is a diagram illustrating a method of making the structure as an incident to the knittin operation; and

Fig.% is a diagram, illustrating one way of treating a complete article.

Referring now toFig. 1, the stocking hav-,

ing a leg 1, a; foot 3 of any usual type, and

.a welt 4 or other end finish, such as the rib top useful in a mans stocking, is provided at suitable intervals with stops or barriers 5, and with wear and puncture resisting heels 6"and toes 7, or both. These consist of a section of the fabric so treated as to increase the stifi'ness or resistance to bending of the yarns composing the knit web at these places, the arns, also being so arranged as to frictiona y cling" to each other at their points of crossing or engagement, such as at 8 or 9, with increased friction or clinging power. Referring to Figs. 3 and 4, such areas are shown arranged at 10 to protect out edges until sewed and to strengthen the fabric at the sewed seam 12. Other/areas 13 and 14 are shown to prevent longitudinal raveling on either side of a cut on line :11, :0, made across the folded tubular knit blank 14. Such a blank may be finished by sewing'along the line 10, and by transfer to a footing machine of a course of loops between Ehe line ac, w, and the area 14; and finishing he-top edge 13 as desired. v

The improved areas of the fabric are made by. applying to the yarn or to the knit web a colloid-impregnating or saturating agent adapted to stick I together the component fibers of the yarns in the knit web.

manytypesof such agentsare useful for the mentioned purpose, I prefer an impregnation having the properties of re sistance to fusion under heat, such as the heat of ironing, resistance to solution in water, soapy or alkaline solutions such as employed for laundry work, and "having colorless transparency when dry.

Such impregnating agent is preferably applied in the form of a solution in one of the particular ways hereinafter mentioned, and in one preferred form consists of a solution of cellulose acetate in acetone or other volatile solvent. One type of such solution may be made according to the following formula, the proportions being preferred but variable:

1. Dissolve 4% grams cellulose acetate in 50 cc. of pure acetone; I

2. Add to solution 1 a clarifier comprising 25 cc. each of pure methyl alcohol and pure benzol.

3. To the solution comprising ingredients aware of many ingredients which may be substituted for those mentioned without departing from the result desired to be gained. The application of such a solution to the fabric may be by any convenient expedient,

A measured quantity for instance, may be 106 sprayed through a stencil upon the fabric at the areas to be treated from the inside or back side of the fabric while the fabric is mounted upon a suitable stretcher or form maintaining an finished folded shape, or the 110 solution may be applied by brushing; but, preferably, the folded tubular blank -or article 15, see Fig." 7, lying upon a bed or platen 20 is impressed by a printing block 21 of wood, metal or rubber havin surfaces 1115 22 previously coated with an even lm of the solution, and corresponding to the areas 5, 6, 7, 10, 13, 14, etc., to be treated, the applied liquid readily reaching both folds of J the fabric when the block 21 is pressed upon it. The liquid has a considerable capillary 'afiinity for the yarns,

artificial silk and mercerized cotton, and

especially for silk,

upon application is instantly absorbed into the inters ices between the fibers composing these yarns, but little remaining as a'surface coating and in the crevices between contacts of adjacent yarns, Any filamentous projections from the yarn,

as at I), gather globules c of the liquid, but I as .at a 5.

are found to show the following qualities;

They are (l) elastically still, the horny dried pellicle or deposit of amorphous cellulose acetate interpenetrating the spaces of the yarn and binding its fibers together in a relat1vely solid resilient mass;

(2) the tractive or frictional power of yarn against yarn is greatly increased; while'actua'l adhesion between the yarns at the loop crossings, as at a Fig. 5, either does not occur or readilybreaks, it is now difiicult to move one yarn past the other without first, wholly separating them; p

(3) the color of the fabric is substantially unchanged; the treated area is visible only as aregion of relative stifiness, the fabric bending elsewhere with greater ease. This disappears when the fabric is stretched, as when worn.

(4) washing, .o'r ironing heat, does not substantially affect these qualities.

. Quality (2) above is in part attributed to the superior coeflicient. of friction of the cel lulose, in part to the breakage roughness, where adhesions have occurred and parted; and in part to the interengagement of the l beaded filaments b, c. a

The treated parts of the fabric are partly protected against absorption of moisture and chemical change, and the treatment is recommended to be carried out after the final dyeing or bleaching operation to which the'yarnor-article is subjected. The treated areas can be raveled by taking special pains,- but as a protection against'the propagation of ladders or the unintended raveling of cut edges, the treatment is 45 highly effective. Seams sewed into cut edges so treated are of as great strength, although engaging the edge at but shallow depths, as

those sewed by the prior practice of a deep engagement to includearoll 'of fabric in the seam; such seams are hence relatively thin and inconspicuous. 'When the heels and toes of spliced or unspliced stocking feet, or-

the tips of-gloves, or other areas of maximum wear are so treated, comparative tests of wear show a very marked longevity of the improved fabric and resistance to puncture and fraying into holes. The treated areas. are somewhat harsher .to the touch,

"and much'lessabsorbent of moisture, but-are rejwil'lted by users as comfortable to wear.

, en the structure is employed as a ravelstop at points in the leg, or at the-heels and toes of stockings,- and in other similar situations, it may be produced-during the knit ting operation, as shown in Rig. 6, by are damage ran a blast nozzle 30 to deliver a spray of t e impregnating solution at the proper times upon the yarn y entering the needle wave w of the machine employed, so that the impregnating solution dries after the yarn has passed the knitting point K, anda and toe 7.

I claim: 1. The art of strengthening knit webs comprising supplying to and solidifyingin the interstices of the yarn composing parts of the web a stiffening agent insoluble in water and substantially unchan able under heat to which the web may e subjected without damage to the yarn of which the 3 web is composed.

2. The art of strengthening knit webs comprisingimpregnating the yarn composing loops-of parts only of the, web with a colloid stiffening material.

3. The art of protectin knit webs againstravelingcomprising app ying to the loops of local areas of the Web an impregnating agent adapted to increase the power of frictional engagement of the yarns of the loops at their points of contact.

4. The art of protecting knit webs against in use comprising impregnatin series of structural loops of parts of the we subjectv to ravel,'wear or puncture with a colloid stiffening and friction-increasing agent. I

5. The art of protecting knit webs against damage in use comprising impregnating series of structural loops of parts of the web subject to ravel, wear or puncture with a colorless, transparent colloid stiffening and friction-increasing agent.

. of an area of the web a quantity of a solu tion of cellulose acetate in a volatile menstruum sufiicient to fill the capillary interstices of the yarn in said area, and then drying the web. Y

8. The art of improving articles made of knit web comprising applying to the finished web at areas subject to damage an impregnating agent adapted to stiffen the individual loops. -9. The art of increasing the cc of knit articles to damagecomprising impreghating the yarn of the knit-loops at predetermined areas-by capillary absorptmninto I .of a film of the liquid agent from a suitable the yarn loops of the-finished article at said areas of a predetermined quantity of a liquid stiffening agent.

10. The art of improving articles made of knit web comprising applying to the web at areas subject to damage a liquid impreg-,

nating agent adapted to stiffen the individual loops, the steps including transfer printing surface by pressure against and capillary, absorption in the web.

11. A knit article having therein an area adapted to resist raveling characterized by adjacent yarn loops stiflened against straightening under tensile stresses.

12. A knit article having therein an area of web in which the knit loops are composed of yarn impregnated by an elastic and resilient solid.

of web in which the knit loops are composed 13-. A knit article having therein an area of yarn impregnated by parent and resilient solid.

14. A lmit article having therein an area of web containing series of adjacent and substantially discrete loops each characterized by abnormal stiffness of its component a colorless, transyarn due to an elastic solid filling the capillary interstices of the component yarn at these parts of its extent.

15. A knit article having therein an area of the knit web rendered fast against 'propagation of ladders of drop stitches by the lo'cal stiffening of the structural loops of the fabric.

stop area comprising an area of the structural web rendered fast against propagation of drop stitch ladders by stifl'ening with a solid elastic impregnating agent insoluble in water. 17 A knit article adapted to be laundried without damage having therein ravel-stop of which the stocking is composed impregnated with a transparent colorless stifiening agent insoluble in water and unchageable by the moderate heat to which the fabric'may be subjected during laundrying.

19. A knit article having deposited in predetermined areas of the knit web of which it is composed a solid resilient impregnating agent distributeddn the capillary spaces of the yarnand serving to render the knit loops resistant to change of their form and to reeving freely one through the other, the interstices of the loops remainin open.

Signed by me at Boston, assachusetts, this twenty-fifth day of October, 1919.

' FRANCIS W. TULLY.

y as 16. A knit article having therein a ravel 

